Gravity-actuated closure for coin-



W. W. JONES Feb. 14, 1956 GRAVITY-ACTUATED CLOSURE FOR COIN-CONTROLLEDDEVICES Filed Dec. 16, 1952 United States Patent 9GRAVITY-ACTUATED-CLOSURE FOR COIN CONTROLLED DEVICES Whitney W. Jones, 1hiladelpl1ia, Pa..

Application December 16, 1952, Serial No. 326,263

2 Claims. (Cl. 232-44) The object of the invention is to provideimprovements in coin-controlled devices of many types, and especially inmeans for guarding the entrance through which coins are inserted forcontrolling operation of the device, particularly when the device is outof doors or otherwise exposed to the weather, including rain, snow,sleet, dust and the general dirt, that would otherwise be liable toenter the device through such an aperture, and sooner or later cause aclogging of the passageways and interference with the operating parts.This application is a continuation-in-part of copending applicationSerial No. 250,257.

In order to illustrate the invention, but without limiting its scope inany way, it is here shown and described as being applied to an ordinaryparking meter, by which upon inserting one or more of the proper coinsthe meter indicates the length of time remaining before a vehicle mustbe moved from the meter-marked location, or one or more additional coinsmust be inserted in said meter in order to extend the permissible periodfor parking at such location.

Another object is to locate the coin entrance beneath an overhangingprojection from a generally upright wall of the meter, the lower edgeportions of said projection approaching one another sufliciently toprovide a fairly continuous support for a ball or sphere housed withinsaid projection, except and until such ball is displaced upwardly by themanual insertion of a coin into said meter, the wall of said meter tothe rear of said overhang being provided with a preferably circularopening for the passage of the coin, which opening is of such size andso arranged as to be closed by said ball at the same time that thedownwardly directed opening of said housing is closed by said ball.

A further object is to provide rearwardly of said meter wall a chute orpassageway into which a coin is directed, by and upon the operatorsfinger pushing the coin upwardly and rearwardly through said housingoverhang, while said ball is displaced by the coin and the finger, asthe coin is pushed through said lower and rearward openings in sequence,until upon releasing such coin beyond said rearward opening it is freeto drop through said passageway, and said ball again falls to itsinitial lower operative position upon withdrawing the operators fingerfrom said housing.

With the objects thus briefly set forth, the invention comprises furtherdetails of construction and operation, which are hereinafter fullydescribed in the following specification, when read in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary section of aportion of the front (or other) wall of a coincontrolled device,including a projecting overhang forming a housing for the ball thatnormally closes the coin entrance; Fig. 2 is a vertical section on theline 22 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3--3of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the front or forward wall of any type ofcoin-controlled meter or other device is represented by the fragmentaryportion 1, from an upper 2,734,680 Patented Feb. 14, 195.6.

ice

part of which projects anintegral extension 2' having. a

wardly to form a semi-circular seat 7 for a. ball closure .8.

Beneath said extension the wall of saidmeter. or, the like is providedoutwardly with an upwardly and rearwardly slanting surface 9, thatserves as a guide for a coin 10 towards an opening 11 in said meterwall, that is partially spanned by a plate 12 secured to the rearward orinner surface of said wall 1, and provided with a circular aperture 13of sufficient size to pass a coin of the proper denomination, as it ispushed upwardly by a finger 14 of the operator, first against and alongsaid slanting section surface 9, into and through said housing andthrough said meter wall, as said ball closure is simultaneously pushedupwardly into substantially the dash-and-double-dot position 15.

In order to more definitely direct the movement of the coin towards theplate aperture 13, two generally triangular guide flanges or webs 16form integral forwardly and upwardly converging extensions of said meterwall, connecting the same with the lower edge portions of the housingwalls 5 and 6, and thus forming spaced means to guide the coin into andthrough said ball housing. It is to be noted that whereas it ispreferable to form said housing and said guide flanges integral withsaid meter wall and with each other, they may be initially formedotherwise and unitarily assembled, if preferred, as for example bywelding them together.

Rearwardly of said meter wall 1, any desired form of coin chute may bepositioned so as to receive a coin that has passed through said aperture13. However, for purposes of illustration such a chute is hererepresented as comprising a forward wall 17, that extends downwardlyfrom and is in effect a substantial continuation of the plate 12, and arear wall 18 that is equally spaced from said forward wall, but extendsupwardly beyond said forward wall to a point at least as high as theupper limit of said aperture 13, in order to form by its uppermostportion 19 an arresting means for a coin pushed through said aperture,and at the same time a directing member, such that when such coin isreleased by the removal of the operators finger, it will be in suchposition as to drop freely into and downwardly through said chute, whichmay be bounded transversely by side walls 20 or their equivalent. With achute and entrance aperture thus protected from the weather, it will berealized that a meter provided with such a closure and housing structureas herein described can never conceivably become inoperative, as theresult of the coin entrance aperture being blocked by ice or snow, orits internal mechanisms affected by rain or the like entering said coinaperture, as has heretofore given so much trouble particularly incertain latitudes. This long sought result is further made possible bythe fact that both the downwardly directed entrance to said housing andthe coin aperture 13, are normally closed simultaneously by the ball 8,as long as it is not elevated against the force of gravity for the shortperiod necessary to insert a coin into the meter.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protectby Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The combination of a coin-controlled mechanism, with a casing havingan annular coin-passing aperture, an overhanging shelter extendingoutwardly from said casing above and in front of said aperture, and agravityactuated ball positioned beneath said shelter as a housing, andguide means operative to direct said ball when actuated by gravity tonormally close said aperture.

2. The combination of a coin-controlled mechanism, with a casingcomprising an upwardly extending wall 3 having a coin-passing aperture,a sheltering hood extending from said wall above and in front of saidaperture, said hood having a downwardly opening aperture large enough topass a coin moving inwardly towards said first aperture, and a ballwithin said hood having a normal position closing said first aperture toprevent the admission of dust and moisture, said ball being directed byan inclined inner surface of said hood to said normal position, in whichsaid ball also substantially closes said hood aperture. 7

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS PriceSept. 22, 1885 Tregurtha Aug. 5, 1890 Colton Mar. 1, 1892 Baker July 2,1918 OConnell Feb. 3, 1925 Adams Aug. 30, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS GreatBritain Jan. 3, 1924

